Zero to Dangerous - Workbooks
🤯

Overwhelm Assassination

One way to boost our willpower and focus is to manage our distractions instead of letting them manage us. ~ Daniel Goleman
 

Table of Contents

 

Key Takeaways

  1. The What of Overwhelm
  1. A New Clinical Form of 21st Century
  1. Overwhelm—Attention Deficit Trait
  1. ADT Is the Enemy of Flow
  1. Going Small & the Overloaded Executive
  1. Protocol
  1. The Two Ways to Solve Overwhelm:
  1. Increase Resources or Reduce Demands
  1. Attacking Overwhelm
 

Exercises

notion image

Overwhelm Assassination Analysis

  • Where in your life are you overcommitted?
  • What demands have you brought upon yourself that you do not have the resources (time, energy, attention, money, etc.) to meet?

Distraction Management Audit

  • On a scale of 1-10, how much do you resonate with the symptoms of ADT (e.g., distractibility, inner frenzy, impatience, impulsiveness, need for frequent electronic “hits”, feeling overwhelmed, overcommiting, etc.)
  • What is the single biggest thing you could do to mitigate ADT?

Glossary

ADT: ADT is the persistent state of information overload generated in the digital world-leading to loss of focus.
ADD: ADD is a neurological disorder that has a genetic component and can be aggravated by environmental and physical factors.
Overwhelm: Overwhelm is influenced by high cognitive load, destroying the flow triggers and by the challenges, skills balance being way out of whack driving excessive norepinephrine and cortisol into the system and blocking us from flow.
 

Lesson Resources

  1. The Organized Mind, by Daniel Levitin
  1. Focus, the Hidden Driver of Excellence, by Daniel Goleman
  1. TED: How to Get Your Brain to Focus BY Chris Bailey
  1. Daniel Goleman on Focus: The Secret to High Performance and Fulfilment
  1. Overloaded Circuits: Why Smart People Underperform by Edward Hallowell
  1. Burnout, the Cost of Caring by Christina Maslach
  1. Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual by Christina Maslach
  1. Developing the Habit of Sensory Gating: - Wear Sunglasses to Protect from Harsh Light - Use Noise Cancelling Headphones - Use Eye Masks (on Flights, in Hotels, etc.) - Hold Conversations with Your Back to the Wall or in a Corner - Enter Hyper-Stimulating Environments with a Clear Action List
  1. Checklist the Positive Psych Basics, Burnout Proofing & Cognitive Load - Ask Yourself, Am I… - Annihilating Cognitive Load Via Elimination, Simplification, Lubrication & Automation - Prioritizing Sleep - Deploying Active Recovery - Deploying Mindfulness - Practicing Gratitude - Saying No & Setting Boundaries - Engaged in Relationships - Working with My Biorhythms - Exercising - Eating Well & Hydrating
  1. The 10 Steps to Overwhelm Assassination - Qualify Urgency - Blanket Ban to a Fixed Date - Linear Processing - Go Dark - Change Your Explanatory Style - Reduce Cognitive Load to the Nth Degree - Cut Your Losses with Cut Throat Prioritization - Let Go & Embrace the Small Sacrifices - Avoid Meta-Stress Through Radical Acceptance - Walks, Breaks & Breaths - Put It in a Larger Context
 
© THE FLOW RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
badge